Interview With Author J. Schuyler Sprowles
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I grew up in the Chicago area and at some point I decided I wanted to be a DJ. I remember taking trips as a boy with my mom into downtown and while she was shopping. I would take the elevator up to the WLS Radio station on the top floor and just watch through the glass at whoever was doing the show. I could have stayed there all day, but I’m sure people would start to wonder about that boy in the lobby.
I attended 5 colleges but never actually obtained a degree, but throughout my college days I studied speech and communication. During the course of my life I have probably held nearly 40 jobs. Most importantly I have been married to the same woman for 41 years. We have 1 amazing son, a great daughter-in-law and 2 incredible granddaughters.
I am a man of faith. At first my faith was weak, but it has definitely grown stronger over the years. Along the way I worked at 6 radio stations throughout the western U.S. where I spun records, wrote commercials and talked to listeners. One day I convinced myself that I should give TV news a try and so I did. Before long I was anchoring the 6 and 10 o’clock news in Odessa, Texas. A year later a news director from Dallas called and offered me a job to anchor the 10 pm news. After over two years in Dallas, I decided to pack up and head to Southern California and try my hand at being a real news correspondent on the streets of LA. I ended up working for 2 different tv stations where I covered everything from violent crime, politics, celebrities, brush fires and you name it.
Eventually I hung up my news mic and became a leading spokesman and crisis manager for a number of large public offices. Years later I found myself being a hired gun for several businesses that were looking to enhance their public image. I finally decided to publish my own magazine that served everybody in my community. Although I’m no longer the publisher, the magazine lives on today.
For the longest time I had this notion of writing a novel that took place in the time and place of Jesus’ journey on earth through the eyes of an adolescent boy and eventually The Young Samaritan came into the world. It is my first novel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
What led me to write this novel was in part due to my fascination with stories of the bible, coupled with my desire to write a story about the emotional journey of coming-of-age. This is no doubt the first coming-of-age story that follows the emotional journey of a boy searching for belonging in the time of Jesus.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I wrote The Young Samaritan I made a personal commitment to devote at least an hour a day to the project until the first draft was finished which took about a year and a half. Most importantly I did not put pressure on myself to write a certain amount of words each day. Somedays I wrote a page or more, other days I wrote one sentence. That was okay as long as stuck to my vow of committing one hour a day to the book.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anything from Steven King. Nobody tells the battle of good vs. evil better than King.
Cormac McCarthy, author of The Road and many others. A true master of capturing the rawness and fragility of life.
Rod Serling – The Twilight Zone. These stories always made you think long after the tale was told.
What are you working on now?
A series of short stories about finding salvation in extremely unlikely places like a post – World War II tavern, an interstate rest stop, under a Southern California pier.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The website is https://jssprowles.com.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Tune out all the noise and advice of the world and listen to your own voice.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Psalm 46:10. Be still and know that I am God.
What are you reading now?
Wild at Heart….Discovering the secret of a man’s soul.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Turning The Young Samaritan into a national bestseller and tv miniseries.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
First off, I would try to avoid that island. But if I must go I would bring a bible – King James Version, The Illiad and The Odyssey – Homer and The Old Man and The Sea – Hemingway.
Author Websites and Profiles
J. Schuyler Sprowles Amazon Profile
J. Schuyler Sprowles’s Social Media Links
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